I reviewed my Avensis TR Tourer in 2012 after 11 months ownership and said I'd probably keep it for more than 2 years (a record for me!). Well, I've just ordered a new car after 4 and a half year and it is a Toyota Avensis Tourer Business Edition - so essentially exactly the same car.

Here's why. What's gone wrong in 4.5 years and 45k miles - nothing except a blocked screen washer. No warranty claims. Nothing broke, no wear and tear evident.

I've nothing much further to say in addition to my previous review (remember, I said that I wanted a car that didn't have: a diesel particulate filter; a dual mass flywheel; an EGR; a timing belt or a turbo. So it was petrol for me and the Avensis fitted all my requirements perfectly). The Avensis is still an ubiquitous car - it does most everything invisibly (and quietly, and comfortably) and most of the time it's like a magic carpet ride, it's still economical for such a big petrol-engined car and as above, supremely reliable (Which rated it the most reliable used estate, incidentally).

Servicing is reasonable (note, next time I'll buy the 3 year service package up front to save money), breakdown assistance is free only for the first year and £50 a year thereafter. I'll probably give that a miss this time round as I don't anticipate any breakdowns....

I live in rural Somerset with my shortest trip being 7 miles (each way), but over my ownership approximately 75% of journeys have been 40 miles or more and probably most of those involve motorways. Average mpg over this time has been 40 mpg.

Since retiring last April (10 months ago) I've done about 4k miles, mostly extra-urban with very few motorway trips. Average mpg = 37.2.

I've mastered the "over complicated interface to all of the electronics - SatNav; Phone; radio; settings" by simply spending a couple of hours with the manual sorting out the essentials and ignoring all the stuff I don't need and rarely use. (so, for example, the way to switch off an unwanted traffic announcement is not to dig through 3 levels of touchscreen menu and 3 further button presses, but simply to switch the radio off and on again)

I decided to replace the car when there was still 6 months of the 5 year 100k miles (otherwise unlimited) warranty remaining. I spent some months researching alternatives using HJ's car reviews, What Car, Which and so on and looking only at estates, MPVs or SUVs (we have a dog and a very elderly parent). There was no way I was going to buy a diesel (see my previous review)

What I found was that it's impossible to buy a bog-standard petrol driven Automatic family estate - so a non-turbo non-supercharged powered vehicle - unless one buys a .... Toyota

.... and ultimately this was a choice between the Avensis Tourer and the Verso. Given the Verso has 3 individual seats in the back vs 2 bigger ones in the Avensis (better suited to my Father-in-law, who is 99 and 6ft tall, so an Auris Tourer was too small) and that the ride in the rear of the Verso made my wife and her father feel nauseous.

...... it was so easy then to choose the Avensis - and I have. I would recommend the 2009-2015 Avensis Tourer 1.8 CVT to anyone, if you can find one, they're pretty rare. My old one will be up on Autotrader in March :-).